Watchtower printeries operating at only 50% capacity

truthseeker

makes you think!!!!

----------------------------------------

In the final talk at our District Convention we were told that the printing plants are working at only 50% capacity (due, it was implied, by Divine intervention).
The thought was expressed that this may be because there is going to be a massive increase in numbers coming into the organisation requiring more printing.As we all know, growth has been minimal over many years now, so the question, where is this growth to come from, and if it comes, how are we going to stop the massive haemorrhage in brothers leaving?
I had the impression that we are going to be given that old "1975" fear treatment all over again in the coming months along with greater oppression by the Elders with their increased immunity from criticism

Your brother

-------------------------------------

follow up comment...

Yes, thank you. I wonder why they on the one hand cut down on the Awake to once a month and yet are still gearing up for increased printing. Maybe they realized the awake was just not being read enough and was a waste of ink. Maybe they are going to start printing the Watchtower 4 times a month.;) Time will tell.

AK - Jeff

Interesting indeed!

That sounds about right - any kind of spin that makes it look positive.

I wonder how they will start spinning the 50% capacity of the seats at the KH's that is sure to be following. Actually, I never attended a hall that had much over half the seats full on Sunday, and far less at SM and TMS.

Jeff

jgnat

They bought those new high-speed printers, right? They probably bought them to handle future demand. Even with their screamingly low volunteer labour costs, I am pretty sure the cost of housing and feeding the printing staff is more expensive than the equipment itself.

These are the factors that can result in under-utilized equipment.

Elsewhere

The thought was expressed that this may be because there is going to be a massive increase in numbers coming into the organisation requiring more printing.

Oops! Just tipped their hand... you can tell this guy doesn't play poker.

Basically what he is saying is that the vast majority of their literature is distributed to JWs already in the religion and NOT to the public.

Gadget

Any one in business with an input on this? When I worked as a sound engineer we deliberately ran our amps and mixers at 80% maximum so that we didn't get any sound distortion by pushing the equipment too hard. 50% sounds a bit low, but surely it would make good business sense to make sure your machinery was not being overloaded to reduce maintanance costs and wear and tear, and if it does break down you would simply move up to 100% and easily catch up.

Paul

garybuss

A plant that makes widgets 8 hours a day is only running at 1/3 capacity by virtue of there being 24 work hours available every single day. If I am only running 1/2 of my widget making machines for 8 hours a day, I'm only running at 1/6th capacity.
Capacity to produce and ability to produce are two different things. The number one thing affecting ability to produce is orders, or lack of. I seriously doubt the Watch Tower Publishing Corporation is running anything like 50% capacity. I'd believe 15% or 20%, not 50.
If all the printing is done in Wallkill in the United States, what's the HUGE Brooklyn and Patterson communes being used for? Two guys answer the phone, 8 wash windows, 20 do security, 12 old guys wait for "the spirit" to direct them, . . . what do the other 2,500 do?

Poztate

A plant that makes widgets 8 hours a day is only running at 1/3 capacity by virtue of there being 24 work hours available every single day. If I am only running 1/2 of my widget making machines for 8 hours a day, I'm only running at 1/6th capacity.

Gary...I think you got them. Plus they only work 5 days a week and they take off all assembly days and holidays such as Christmas,Boxing day and Easter......Part time job at the best...

zeroday

The Watchtower is the single largest source of land fill in the world. Think about it. 6 million JW's. Billions upon billions of printed material distributed each and every year. Where does it all go. As a JW for 28 years I rarely read the mountains of crap they churned out. When was the last time you met with the brothers after a meeting and they could not wait to discuss the latest publications or Watchtower articles. After a while my hall became visions of the walking dead.

Cygnus

: If all the printing is done in Wallkill in the United States, what's the HUGE Brooklyn and Patterson communes being used for?

Gary, that's a really good question, and one I asked my dad about. He said the copyright on newly printed Watchtowers is still 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn. I had also heard from somewhere that the WTS was outsourcing or subcontracting out some of the printing of their books. Anybody have any specifics? Where's MikeMusto?

katiekitten

Oh COME on - those publications are really useful.

A pile of hardbound books prop open doors really well. The small hardback books open and stand on their side in a row to make a great table tennis net. My friend was cutting his grass with tobacco on the back of the Creation book yesterday.

They just need to market some new ideas to get their sales back up.

Watchtower printeries operating at only 50% capacity

Share this